The High Mountains of Portugal – Yann Martel

Life of Pi is one of my all-time favorite books. Yann Martel may never again be able to match the significance of that story, and that is okay with me.

The High Mountains of Portugal contains three long-ish short stories, all connected by a very loose thread. Up first, we meet Tomás. He lives in Lisbon has been befallen by tragedy times three. He decides to jump in an automobile (a new fangled thing at the time) and begin a quest to find a religious artifact. In doing so, he believes he can make some sense of what happened or at least find solace by letting loose some of his anger.

The middle part of the book focuses on a pathologist named Eusebio who loves murder mystery books. He has a spouse that he loves dearly…”How did he end up with a wife who was both beautiful and profound?” Did he deserve such luck?” Late one night, he meets a widow and performs the world’s strangest autopsy. This one resonated with me the most, as it was a Doc and his wife who love to discuss books over a nice glass of wine.

Finally, we meet Peter, a Senator living in Canada. He is heartbroken after losing the love of his life. He finds solace in the arms of…wait for it…a chimpanzee.

As I previously stated, it is pretty hard to equal or surpass Life of Pi.